Decreasing costs of wireless communications, such as cellular communications, has resulted in many consumers relying upon wireless communications as their primary means of telephonic communications. Some consumers have completely switched their telephonic communications from landline (e.g., through a local exchange carrier “LEC” or a local phone company) to wireless communications. In addition to the decreasing costs of wireless communications, this switch is due to the convenience of having a single telephone and telephone number for all communications, and the portability associated with a telephone number fixed to a geographical location.
Although many consumers desire the simplicity afforded by using wireless communications in place of landline communications, not all consumers have this option. Specifically, many consumers reside in areas where their wireless service provider's service area (herein referred to as a “wireless macro network”) does not provide adequate coverage. In some areas the wireless macro network may provide adequate coverage, however, due to the attenuation of wireless signals by the structure of the consumer's residence, the consumer cannot obtain adequate coverage within the residence.
Even when consumers are able to obtain adequate coverage in their homes, they may face difficulties in obtaining wireless coverage when located in areas away from their homes. Specifically, there are currently a number of different wireless communication standards implemented by different wireless carriers. Many of these wireless communication standards are incompatible with each other. For example, a CDMA mobile station cannot communicate with a wireless macro network which operates using iDEN or GSM technology. Consumers typically face this incompatibility problem when traveling between the United States, where many wireless carriers operate CDMA wireless macro networks, and Europe, where GSM is the prevailing technology for wireless macro networks.
Even when a consumer has a mobile station which operates in accordance with a particular technology, if there is not a roaming agreement between the consumer's wireless network operator and the operator of the wireless macro network where the consumer is currently located, the consumer will not be able to communicate over the visited wireless macro network. Moreover, even when there are roaming agreements exist, the cost of roaming may be extremely expensive.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods for allowing consumers to use their existing mobile stations in their residences regardless of whether a signal from the wireless macro network can be received within the residence. Additionally, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods for allowing consumers to use their existing mobile stations when a consumer is located in an area which has coverage from a wireless macro network which operates using an incompatible technology, in which the consumer's wireless network operator does not have a roaming agreement with the wireless macro network operator, or when roaming agreements result in high per minute fees for such roaming.